New blueberry varieties will play an increasingly important role in Oregon
Within the past five years, the development of new blueberry varietals has shown exponential growth. “These new varieties really have the consumer in mind,” says Jeff Malensky with Oregon Berry Packing. “They are firm, have an excellent flavor profile, and have a larger size.”
New varieties
Growers in Oregon heavily rely on northern highbush varieties that require a higher number of chill hours. However, development of these varieties takes longer compared to low chill varieties that don’t require the chill hours. It takes more time to develop northern highbush varieties and once brought to market, they take years to reach full production. “However, we feel lucky that Oregon headquartered Fall Creek is very advanced in the development of northern highbush varieties.” In addition, the collaboration between Oregon Berry Packing and Twin River Berries provides more opportunities to develop varieties together. “It has definitely given us access to a wider range of new varieties, including LoretoBlue™, Sekoya Crunch, ArabellaBlue®, PeachyBlue™, and Everlast,” shared Malensky.
ArabellaBlue variety.
Overseas program
In Oregon, Duke, Draper and Calypso are still the main varieties, but this is expected to gradually change in the coming years as the new varieties have a firmness component that is favored by consumers domestically as well as internationally. The overseas market remains an important part of the company’s blueberry program. “For Asia, quality is very important and we want to be able to continue our export programs to this part of the world.” For that, firm, high-flavor fruit is required and that’s what Oregon is able to grow thanks to its dry summer climate, low humidity, as well as warm days and cool nights.
Heat stretches
Oregon’s blueberry harvest is basically finished for the season. It started early, about 10 to 14 days ahead of the normal start date but also ended about two weeks early. “The bulk of the crop was harvested by the end of July,” said Malensky. Overall, the season turned out very positive, but after a challenging start. At the beginning of harvest, in the month of June, Oregon was faced with two heat stretches. The first one happened during the initial harvest, and the second one came about ten days later. These periods of hot weather really impacted the sizing of Duke, the prominent variety. “The pounds of that early fruit just didn’t come in.”
Thankfully, the end of June was much cooler than usual and the weather continued to be beneficial going into July. After the initial heat wave, temperatures pretty much stayed below 85°F for the remainder of the season. “Those lower temperatures turned things around and had a very positive impact on the quality of the crop, resulting in some of the best quality blueberries ever.” Total production volume for the state is expected to be around 155 million pounds, which is similar to last year’s near-record volume. “If it wasn’t for the heat stretch, we could have had a record volume this season,” Malensky shared.
Demand for processed blueberries
While the majority of harvest finished by the end of July, small volumes of some later varieties are still in the field. In addition, some growers have put high-quality fruit in storage to extend the season. As a result, fresh Oregon blueberries will still be available in stores for a few more weeks. In addition to the fresh segment, the processed blueberry industry is also doing well. Demand for Individually Quickly Frozen blueberries, as well as juices, powders, and extracts is showing steady growth and Oregon Berry Packing is growing that part of the business, too.
For more information:
Jeff Malensky
Oregon Berry Packing
Ph: +1 (503) 640-4410
jeff@oregonberry.com
www.oregonberry.com
